Cranberry Pear Pie with Caramel - gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, vegan
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Inspired by apple pie with salted caramel recipe from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book that is a family favorite of ours. The flaky, buttery crust (yes really!) is filled with sweet pears and bright tart cranberries, a perfect union for some very good pie and even better with a good drizzle of rich caramel on top!
Jessica:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: serves 8
Ingredients
  • For the pie crust:
  • 1 package Bob’s Red Mill GF Pie Crust
  • 8 tablespoons (4 oz) organic palm shortening, cut up into pieces
  • 12 tablespoons (6 oz) earth balance soy free spread, cut into pieces
  • 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
  • 7 tablespoons ice water (I leave more like ½ cup in a measuring cup with an ice cube, for easy measuring at the counter)
  • 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons cane sugar, divided
  • ¼ cup water
  • 4 ounces (1 stick) non-dairy soy free butter (I use Earth Balance)
  • ½ cup coconut creamer, original flavor (I use So Delicious brand)
  • juice of 2 small lemons (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 7-8 pears (1½ pounds), Bosc, Comice, and or Seckel varieties - I used Bosc and Comice
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries (1½ pounds)
  • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
  • ½ cup cane or raw sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • pinch of crushed black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ cup potato starch (tapioca or arrowroot starch work too)
  • “Egg” Wash (3 tablespoons melted Earth Balance buttery spread with 3 teaspoons coconut milk)
  • Demerara sugar
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190 C) with a baking sheet set on the lower third part of the oven.
  2. Prepare two pie crusts per instructions on my apple pie recipe post, use one to line a pie dish, the second to roll out a flat sheet ¼-1/8 inch thick almost the size of the parchment paper (step by step can be found on apple pie or pumpkin pie post). Transfer to a baking sheet to give support. Refrigerate both.
  3. Meanwhile prepare caramel, combine 1 cup of cane sugar and the water in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Do not stir during this process. Add non-dairy buttery spread and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture turns a reddish-golden brown color and it covered with bubbles.
  4. Note: swirl the saucepan to see the color of the mixture under all the bubbles. Remove from heat and immediately but slowly add the coconut creamer (be careful, the mixture will violently boil) and quickly whisk mixture well. It will appear dark brown and thin (it will thicken while chilling), set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the cranberry pear filling and finish pie crust.
  5. Take out pie crust shell and flat dough sheet from refrigerator, then line pie shell with parchment paper and pie weights. Par bake for 10 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, pour lemon juice into a large bowl, add cranberries. then peel, core and slice (1/4-1/2 inch thick) pears. Add to lemon juice. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons cane sugar over pears, toss to combine and set aside to soften and release some of the juices, 30 minutes.
  7. Note: Skipping this step will make the pie too wet.
  8. While waiting for pears to release liquids, prepare top crust.
  9. For the top crust:
  10. Using top half of the flattened dough, cut out lengthwise ½ inch wide strips and 1-inch wide strips. Set aside.
  11. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the Angostura bitters over ½ cup of sugar. Add cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, kosher salt, and potato starch, mix well. Add prepared cranberries and pears to the sugar-spice mixture, without the remaining juices. Gently toss pears, leaving the remaining liquid behind, to fully coat and evenly distribute the sugar-spice mixture.
  12. Add fruit to par-baked crust as tightly as possible, with minimal gaps.
  13. Then carefully lift up prepared strips using a long icing spatula or a sheet of paper (it also works well) and place over fruit filled pie. The center of the pie will take the longest strips and shorter ones toward edges. Making sure each (strip) end touches crust edge, then gently pinch into the crust.
  14. When done, prepare logs to become the crimped edge on the crust.
  15. Grab half of handful worth of dough and roll out four one to half-inch sized logs, about 5 inches long, then place each on top of pie edge and gently pinch dough (moving downwards) to blend and seal on pie shell and over edges of lattice strips. Then crimp edge. If dough feels stiff wait 5-10 minutes until pliable.
  16. Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Liberally brush crust with “egg” wash then generously sprinkle raw sugar all over. Place onto pre-heated baking sheet (careful!) and bake for 50-55 minutes, rotating the pie midway, until deep golden brown and juices are bubbling. Test the pears with a skewer or toothpick, they should be tender with a slight bit of resistance.
  17. Allow to cool, 2-3 hours before serving. Drizzle caramel on top of pie and serve slightly warm or room temperature with remaining caramel on the side
  18. Note: Par-baking the crust will allow you to make the pie a day or two before serving. I have made this two days prior to serving, keeping it in the refrigerator, and the crust was not soggy on the bottom.
  19. The pie will keep refrigerated for three days or two days at room temperature, lightly covered.
  20. Notes:
  21. Making a pie from start to finish takes time, no matter what your skill level is. You will need to allow 4-5 hours from crust making to eating (this includes 2 hours of cooling before cutting).
  22. Baking times can range depending on the type of pie dish. Temperature given for this pie is based on ceramic pie dish. A metal pan conducts more heat, lower by 25 degrees F and add 5-10 more minutes of baking time (keep an eye on it to judge) may be needed, whereas a glass pan can be baked at 400 degrees F with the same baking time.
  23. I found this recipe needs a par-baked crust since the dough along the sides and bottom tasted somewhat raw. With that, the authors do use standard gluten flours for their pies, which as you know can make a big difference as with this pie.
  24. Lining the pre-baked pie and filling with weights prevents puckering and air pockets in the dough. Gently remove to prevent pulling the par-baked dough.
Recipe by From Jessica's Kitchen at http://fromjessicaskitchen.com/cranberry-pear-pie-with-caramel/